The present invention relates to network traffic management, and more particularly, to the controlled optimization of network traffic using a proxy network traffic manager module.
Many computer network systems rely on the use of optimization services serially integrated into a network path to streamline the flow of data, provide efficient use of network resources, or improve quality of service. For example, this type of architecture is often found in cellular networks. With the proliferation of smartphones and tablet devices in recent years, the demand for streaming video on mobile devices has grown significantly. Thus, to conserve bandwidth, many cellular networks have integrated video optimizers into their network paths. These video optimizers may pre-process video files requested by smart devices to shrink the size of the video files and reformat the video files to the display capabilities of the smart devices. The processed video and reformatted video file may then be streamed to the requesting.
However, because video optimizers and other performance enhancing services are typically placed in-line with a network path, these services may be end up processing all network traffic, regardless of whether the function of the service. For example, a text file requested by a mobile device may be passed through a video optimizer even though the text file is not enhanced by the functionality of the video optimizer. Thus, the placement of video optimizers and other performance enhancing services serially in a network path may unnecessarily consume network resources and decrease the scalability of the network.